The commissioning of this new trombone concerto from prolific Finnish composer Kalevi Aho represents the last of van Rijen’s several projects funded by his 2006 BBT award. Having performed the work earlier this year in Holland and Finland, he is now well acquainted with the intricacies of this virtuosic piece with its double-­‐tone playing and complex manoeuvres: “Kalevi has produced a spectacular showcase for the trombone in all its different guises. As well as demonstrating the lyrical and singing capabilities of the instrument in the two slow movements, there
is a lot of virtuosic work – such as flutter-­‐tonguing, double and triple tonguing, fast vibrato and glissando – in the fast movements, with the help of three great percussion players who set
the groove.”